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What are the links in the Circuit of Papez
The circuit of Papez is: entorhinal cortex → hippocampus → fornix → mammillary bodies → anterior nucleus of thalamus → cingulate gyrus → entorhinal cortex → hippocampus.
What are features of an orbitofrontal lesion?
Symptoms of orbitofrontal lesions may include traits of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), disinhibition, hypersexuality, anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, and antisocial behavior.
Familial FTD - genetic link?
In familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the most common linkage is to chromosome 17q21,
Syndrome of bilateral ACA infarcts?
bilateral anterior cerebral artery (ACA) infarcts. The key is identifying symptoms of frontal lobe dysfunction (such as those listed in the question) and leg weakness
A lesion of the dorsomedial nucleus would cause what symptoms?
The dorsomedial nucleus is in the thalamus and has projections to dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate gyrus, and temporal lobe/amygdala. Dysfunction of this nucleus can result in abulia, anterograde amnesia, social disinhibition, and motivation loss
Huntington’s disease is associated with mutation on which chromosome?
Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant trinucleotide repeat disorder resulting from expansion of CAG repeats on chromosome 4p in a region that codes for the Huntington’s protein. The disease is associated with choreoathetosis and dementia.
What is Kluver Bucy syndrome?
Kluver–Bucy syndrome is caused by lesions to bilateral anterior temporal lobes/amygdala and is characterized by hyperorality (tendency to explore objects with mouth), hypermetamorphosis (preoccupied with minute environmental stimuli), blunted emotional affect, hypersexuality, and visual agnosia. It has been associated with Pick’s disease
Compare the trigeminal autonomic cephalgias: duration of attacts, associated features, recommended abortive medications, recommended preventive medications?
SUNCT: 1 - 240 second attacks. SUNA without conjunctival injection and or tearing - stabbing headache quality, opthalmic distribution o fpain. Abortive medications often unnecessary. Lamotrigine for preventative. Paroxysmal hemicrania: 2-30 minutes: high daily attack frequency (>5 per day) absence of agitiation. Abortive medications often unnecessary as good response to indomethacin (use for prevention) Cluster headache: 15-180 minutes: more prevalent in males: circadian or circannual recurrence, significant associated agitation, triggered by alcohol. Can try subcutaneous sumitriptan, intramuscular DHE, high flow O2 to abort To prevent- verapamil, lithium, topiramate Hemicrania continua - 30 mins to 3 days: baseline milder headache for > 3 months attacks with automonic features. Often unnecessary given good response to indomethacin to use abortive but use indomethacin at high doses for preventative treatment.
Genetic mutatons and location on chromosomes for AD, FTD,
AD: preselin 1 (ch14) and preselin 2 (ch1), APP (ch 21) FTD: GRN Ch 17, MART CH 17, C9Orf72 (ch 9)
Frontal Lobe Signs
- Utilization behaviour: uses something in the environment automatically
- Failure of response inhibition: hallmark of orbital frontal dysfunction
Manifestations of Tropheryma whippelii
- Whipple disease.
- Patients typically present with gastrointestinal complaints including diarrhea, malabsorption and weight loss.
- Other symptoms may include lymphadenopathy, hyperpigmented skin, movement disorders, oculomasticatory myodysrhythmia and dementia.
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CJD
- Sporadic CJD
- 85-90% of cases
- 6 clinical phenotypes:
- Familial CJD disease is seen in 10-15% CJD of cases. Clusters of CJD cases are usually familial.
- Transmitted (iatrogenic) CJD can occur via the transfer of human tissues, CSF, or blood contaminated with prion proteins (e.g. corneal transplant, neurosurgical equipment without sufficient sterilization, administration of contaminated growth hormone, or blood). These cases are very rare.
- Variant CJD (vCJD) is also a rare form caused by dietary consumption of beef that contains brain or spinal cord tissue infected with the prion responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
- Trauma can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive neurodegenerative condition that has a very slow progression over years.
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CJD IMAGING
- MRI has been shown to have higher specificity and sensitivity than EEG and CSF testing for 14-3-3 protein.
- MRI: DWI/ADC showing hyperintensity in the cortical gyri, caudate, and thalamus.
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vCJD
- Young (av 28). Course of illness 1 year
- Anxiety, depression withdrawal sx, Persistent pain and abnormal sensation in the face and limbs, Over several months then develop myoclonus, gait disturbance, dementia
- Prion proteins cause spongiform encephalopathy characterized by rapidly progressive dementia with myoclonus and seizures.
- WHAT DOES THE MRI SHOW? WHAT IS THE HISTOPATH?
- MRI – pulvinar
- Neuropathologically the most conspicuous pattern is the formation of multiple amyloid plaques surrounded by a rim of spongiform change (florid plaque) which ranges from size of 5-50mm and has a hyaline eosinophilic core surrounded by a paler halo is seen on haematoxylin and eosin staining, Similar smaller plaques are seen in clusters in perivascular and pericellular arrangements. Florid plaques are characteristic but not specific for vCJD
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WHAT IS THIS - Pulvinar sign: T2 hyperintensities in the thalamus, basal ganglia and cortex, and path – florid plaque

VARIANT CJD
Catatonia
- Immobility and rigid motor tone and “waxy flexibility” (when you change a limb position patient retains that position for up to days)
- Commonly associated conditions: schizophrenia, mood disorders, general medical conditions
- There are more than 40 diagnostic criteria for catatonia but can be confident with 2 of 1. motoric immobility (either waxy flexibility or stupor) 2. excessive purposless motor activity, 3. extreme negativism or mutism 4) peculiar movements including posturing, mannerisms or grimmacing, 5) echolalia or echopraxia
- Think: immobility, stupor, posturing, staring, rigidity, grimacing, withdrawal, mute, echopraxia, echolalia, sterortypies and mannerisms
- WHAT IS THE MOST COMMONLY ASSOCIATED DISORDER
- Bipolar I (mood disorders (25-50%), schizophrenia (10-15%)
- Treatment: sedative anticonvulsants (barbiturates and benzos) or ECT
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MCI
- Essentially - its greater memory impairment than expected for age but not enough to affect function
- What % progress to Dementia?
- What can be effective in preventing progression to dementia?
- What is predictive on CSF
- Donepezil can slow the progression of MCI into Alzheimers in the first 12 months of treatment
- Rate of conversion of MCI to Alzheimer’s per year is 16% per year
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) raised tau and lowered beta amyloid 1-42 Tau - levels released from dying neurons, beta-amyloid 1-42 are decreased secondary to the accumulation of amyloid in the neuritic plaques - This pattern has been shown to have sensitivity and specificity of 85% in predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD.
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Order of investigation for dementia
- brief cognitive assessment
- collateral
- bloods and screening CT/MRI
Bloods – impaired cognition
- B12 deficiency: likely to have decreased haemaglobin, elevated MCV, combined system degeneration (posterior columns and lateral corticospinal tract signs)
- Wilson’s disease: LFT derrangements, movement disorder
- Hypothyroidism: depressed relaxation phase of reflexes,
- Niacin deficiency, (think if taking isoniazid) dementia, dermatitis, and diarrhea.
- Vitamin E deficiency typically presents with cognitive dysfunction, ataxia, and neuropathy.
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Diagnosing AD
- NINCDS-ADRDA : onset 40-90 progressive cognitive loss with deficits in 2 + domains
- Probable- established by clinical examination and confirmed by neuropsychologicaltests
- Possible: having dementia syndrome in absence of other psyvh illness, but in presence of a second systemic or brain disorder not thought to be the cause of your problems
- Definite: clinical criteria for probable plus histopathologic evidence (autopsy or biopsy)
MRIs and PETs - FINDINGS IN AD, LBD, FTD
- AD: hypometabolism in bilateral parietal and precuneus.
- LBD: Bilateral parietal-occipital hypometabolism
- FTD: bilateral frontotemporal
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Cholinesterase Inhibitors - SE, MOA
- SE: bradycardia – heart problems relative CI
- Other CI – gastric ulcer bleeds, seizures, bronchial muscle spasm secondary to asthma or COPD
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors can reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms (including psychosis) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease dementia and diffuse Lewy body disease.
- LBD: most evidence for Rivastigmine
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